'Joe': The Redemption Of Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage has become something of a parody of himself over the past few years, but is the actor returning to form with his latest film 'Joe'?

Nicolas Cage is, without a doubt, one of the world’s greatest actors. There’s not many people that could argue with us when we say that, whatever their personal opinion of the eccentric star. The recipient of a Best Actor Academy Award in 1995 for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas, he has proved countless times that he is a seriously talented guy. As a member of the Coppola family it would be more of a surprise if he wasn’t.

Nicolas Cage has starred in a number of flop films over the years

The problem is…he’s made some pretty bloody terrible films too. We still can’t bring ourselves to accept that Windtalkers really happened, while that accent in Captain Corelli’s Mandarin could rival Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. It’s that bad.

Cage has become known for his over the top performances and outbursts (“NOT THE BEES!”), not to mention his array of crazed faces, which have become the topic of thousands of memes. He’s become a significant figure on the internet, with a fan base entirely dedicated to his manic expressions. If you ask most people why they love Nicolas Cage so much, they probably wouldn’t even be able to tell you.

Cage hasn’t helped his case by allegedly blowing through $100 million in the space of a few years (and a few terrible movies). The actor extravagantly squandered his money on ‘investments’ including a $17.5 million mansion in Bel Air, a $30 million Gulfstream Private Jet and a $7 million, 40 acre private island. Just the basics, then.

However, we're here to tell you that the time has come for the resurgence of Nicolas Cage. After producing a string of disappointing movies (Kick Ass obviously aside), he’s returning to the big screen in Joe. Starring as a hothead ex-con in a gritty drama, which has already received critical acclaim, it seems as though Cage may potentially turn his career around Matthew McConaughey style. It is possible that he has finally recognised that major blockbusters don’t equate success for an actor as idiosyncratic as he is.

Will Nicolas Cage return to form with Joe?

Although it is not unusual for talented actors to have a few years when they are led astray. John Travolta’s ‘missing years’ included the Look Who’s Talking trilogy, which may have been easy watching, but it doesn’t mean his fans weren’t pleased to see him return to form in Pulp Fiction. Let’s hope that Joe marks a turning point in Cage’s career, and that he once again starts picking his roles more carefully and more fittingly. He currently has four films in post-production, would it be too much to ask that Joe isn’t the anomaly when it comes his upcoming films actually being worth watching?